Potted Autumn Harvest

If you're looking for adorably festive fall craft ideas, this Potted Autumn Harvest is surely just what you need. A couple friendly scarecrows and cute little crows take up residence in a small pot suited just for them. This is also a great flower pot idea after your flowers have withered up from the autumn chill. Your table could use a cheery centerpiece, and this Potted Autumn Harvest is the perfect contender. Make more than one and give them as gifts to spread the fall spirit.

Primary TechniqueGeneral Crafts

Intermediate

SeasonFall

Materials:

Tan knit glove
4″ terra cotta pot
Cotton batting
Silk flowers and leaves in fall colors
Country green raffia
Brown button
2 small straw hats (fit on end of finger)
Raffia Liquitex Basics Gesso (art medium for surface prep)
Acrylic paint in country green, sunflower and white crackle
Medium black acrylic or fabric paint
Fabric scraps for bandanas
Felt: white, goldenrod, orange and pink
Black marker (or squeezable fabric paint)
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Paintbrush
Patterns

Instructions:

Fill the glove with cotton batting, ensuring that all fingers are full and half of the palm.
Paint the thumb, pinky and middle finger of the glove with black paint.
Set aside to dry.
Paint entire outside surface of the terra cotta pot with Gesso. Acrylic paint without Gesso would take several coats to cover. Once the Gesso is dry, paint the entire outside of the pot with green.
Allow to dry completely.
Apply crackle medium according to directions on the bottle, a medium coat works well.
Allow it to dry for 15-25 minutes, until tacky but not completely dry. Next apply a medium coat of white paint over the crackle on the body of the pot and Sunflower paint on the rim. Do not excessively brush, one or two strokes is enough.
Let dry, crackle will begin to work within minutes. From the felt cut out the following (see patterns): 3 triangles from the goldenrod for the crow’s beaks, 2 triangles from the orange for the scarecrow noses, 4 small circles from the pink for the scarecrow cheeks, 4 circles from the white for the scarecrow eyes, 3 eye shapes from the white for the crows.
Use the handle end of a paint brush, dip into black paint, then dot on blacks of the eyes.
Set the shapes aside.
Bunch together several strands of raffia to make the scarecrow’s hair. To do this, cut lengths of raffia about 4-5″ long.
Bunch together about 10-12 strands and use an extra piece to tie the bunch together in the center.
Use your finger to push the center of the raffia bunch into the straw hat. If it looks like enough hair, hot glue the center of the raffia bunch inside the hat.
Repeat for the second hat and set aside. Your terra cotta pot should now be dry.
Use green raffia to tie a bow around the pot, just under the rim.
Use a spot of hot glue to tack the raffia in place at the back of the pot. This will make it easier for you to tie it around the front. Once tied, secure it in place with hot glue in several different spots around the pot. Next, take the button and thread some extra green raffia through the button holes.
Tie in a knot at the front of the button and trim the ends.
Hot glue the button to the front of the raffia bow on the pot.
Spray the pot with acrylic sealer and set aside to dry.
Check the black sections of the glove to see if they are dry. If not, you can leave the project longer, or for speedier results, use a blow dryer to help the process along. If you still aren’t sure, or if the drying process is close but not quite complete, take a tissue or paper towel and wrap it around the black painted finger and squeeze gently. This will put any excess wet paint onto the tissue.
Repeat for all three black fingers.
Glue the straw hats onto the tan fingers.
Glue on scarecrow eyes, nose and cheeks.
Use black marker to draw on scarecrow smiles and eyelids.
Make mini bandanas from fabric scraps and tie around scarecrow necks, secure in back with hot glue.
Trim hair with scissors.
Glue on crow eyes and beaks.
Place a handful of cotton batting into the terra cotta pot.
Place the glove inside the pot. If the height looks good, glue it all in. If not, remove or add batting below the glove to adjust.
Insert and glue in silk flowers and foliage being careful not to cover up any of the faces.
Snip ends of flowers off and glue directly to the glove if needed.